


Shadows Painted in Red

by Cumber_Babe04



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I'm Sorry, Rating May Change, kinda angsty, now rated mature because of language, sorry young ones, title may change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-05-02 06:53:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14539074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cumber_Babe04/pseuds/Cumber_Babe04
Summary: Hey guys!I finally found inspiration, though not for any of my current works ;-; I know, I'm awful. BUT! I have a new piece!!!!! This one, obviously. Enjoy!Peace Babes,Cumber_Babe04





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are very much appreciated!

“Do you know what the worst curse would be?” Marinette Dupain-Cheng sits on a Parisian roof, her eyes on the sunset and her cheeks shining with tears. Chat Noir glances over at her, concerned. “What would that be Purrr-incess?” Marinette giggle-sobs. “If you had to end every sentence with the word ‘sometimes’ or ‘someday’. Like, I only love him sometimes. Or, I’ll be brave someday. It gives an air of incompletion like something could have been.” She sniffles. Chat cocks his head inquisitively at the bluenette. “Is there a reason that you’re acting like this? Whose ass am I beating? Mari, come on. Tell me!” The girl sighs, her voice choked with heartbreak. “The guy that I like, he-he told me that we could happen. Someday. He told me that he sometimes thinks that he likes me, but he’s not sure because he’s in love with- with Ladybug!” Here, she starts laughing, and it's a hollow sound, broken, though Chat’s not sure why she started laughing in the first place. All he can hear is his own voice, echoing throughout his head.

 _‘"I-I don’t really- I mean I’ve never really thought about it. Maybe we could happen. Someday. Sometimes I think that I like you, but I’m not sure because I’m kinda….. inlovewithLadybug."’_ All he can see are Marinette’s empty eyes, as she smiles slightly, tears already falling, saying,  _"O-oh, I underst-stand."_  All he can see is the destruction she wrought on Paris and Ladybug’s absence. Of course, Ladybug herself had shown up afterward, apologizing profusely, saying that she had been out of town, or some other lie along the same vein. But for the first time, Chat hadn’t cared. For the first time, he was well and truly furious with his Lady. _“How could you not show up? She depended on you! No one but you can purify the akumas, and where were you?”_ he had shouted, not even waiting until they were out of earshot of the reporters. _“Do you think I don’t know that?”_ She had screamed back. _“I know I let you down, I know I let Paris down! I. Fucking. Know that! I know I let her down.”_ She broke down into sobs there, and she’d swung away. He hadn’t seen her since. But here was Marinette, a girl that he had thought would never break down because she was too strong. And yet, there she was, broken.

So he’d gone to comfort her, and he’d found her on her balcony with tears pouring down her face. Which brought them to their current conversation.

Marinette sniffles again, and says, “I’m sorry Chat. I’m sorry I let you down.” He looks at her with a frown etched across his features. “Why are you sorry? If anyone should be sorry, it’s Ladybug.” Her eyes flash with anger here, but it’s not at him. It’s at herself. “She should’ve been there. She shouldn’t have fallen prey-” she cuts herself off, shaking her head. “What do you mean? What happened to her? Do you know where she is? Please, Princess!” He pleads desperately. She snorts. “I saw you when you confronted her. I’m not stupid. I know you hate m- I mean her. But she’s never been good enough. You’ve always seen her through those rose-tinted glasses, and now? Now, what do you think of her?”

Her tear-filled eyes shine up at him like transparent blue glass, and he melts.”I-I don’t really know what I think about her right now.” Her face is carefully blank, but he sees her heartbreak. “That’s what I thought,” she murmurs. “You still love her. Even though she could love someone else? How? How do you deal with the constant pain and heartbreak?” “Maybe,” he pauses for a moment, hesitant about how his answer will be received, then presses on. “Maybe I’ve found someone else to love. Maybe my so-called rose-tinted glasses shattered when I saw how she let you down. Maybe I’m finally seeing in real colors and not just the reds and blacks that filter through. Maybe I’ve started to love you.” She gives him a shattered glance, fresh tear-tracks making their way down her pale cheeks. “No, not me. You only love the idea of me. You love the idea that you could come to my house in the evenings after patrols and just act like everything’s normal for a change. But it wouldn’t be, because you’re a superhero, and there’s nothing normal about saving the world.” His eyes are wide and disbelieving. “Y-you can’t say that; you can’t really mean that,” Chat pleads quietly. Marinette closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Maybe I don’t. But I do know that you don’t really love me. How could you? You hardly know me, and I sure as hell don’t know you. 'Cause no one I know could have screamed at Ladybug like that." She glances at Chat, about to say something else, but he's no longer there. She's been holding a conversation with the cool breeze that whispers past.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I was recently told that my formatting was a bit hard to read and that the timeline was hard to follow as well. Thank you so much for the constructive criticism; I really appreciate it. As Malcolm Gladwell once said, "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." I'll try to make my future chapters a little easier to follow. On another note: I'm kinda toying around with the idea that Chat/Adrien is only a figment of Marinette’s imagination that's bled into her version of reality. It's not set in stone, but, well, I don't know. Let me know what you guys think! Also, I’m sorry for the long wait; here’s a longer chapter for you all. One last thing: If anyone knows how to italicize on this formatting, I think that it will help tremendously with the confusion. Please help an author out! Thanks!  
> Peace babes,  
> Cumber_Babe04

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter Two! Hope you enjoy! As always, comments and Kudos are much appreciated!

Marinette wasn't usually one to rise early, yet here she was, the first one at the school. She'd spent a restless night, tossing and turning in her bed. Her mind just wouldn't stop replaying her earlier conversation with Chat, and she resented it for that. She stood at the front steps of the school, a coffee in her hand, trying to keep herself awake.

Alya’s voice slices through the haze that clouds her thoughts. “Girl, you look like shit. What were you doing, patrolling?” She doesn’t notice Marinette’s face pale, as she prattles on about something to do with what she and Nino did the other night. Marinette pinches the bridge of her nose, trying not to panic. _‘It’s OK, she doesn’t know you’re Ladybug. No one does.’_ Her thoughts scramble through her head like swarming ants, and she doesn’t notice when Alya stops talking. “Are you even listening to me?” Alya demands, a hurt expression on her face. “Wha- yeah! Of course, I was!” she stutters, her face red-hot. Alya raises an eyebrow. “Really. Fine, what was the last thing that came out of my mouth?” Marinette gapes, silence the only thing that hangs between the two. Alya shakes her head. “I don’t know why I even bother anymore. It’s not like you pay attention anymore anyways.” She walks away, her shoulders slumped with defeat. “A-Alya, wait!” But the journalist doesn’t acknowledge her pleas.

When Marinette walks into the classroom, there’s an instant hush. Her eyes are averted, trying not to gain anyone’s attention, but her back’s on fire with all of the stares directed at her. A hand waves in her peripheral and she glances up, instinctively knowing that it’s Adrien’s. His eyes are a warm, welcoming green, and he pats the empty bench beside him. “Nino’s not here? Oh, what am I asking, of course, he’s not here, you wouldn’t be asking me otherwise,” she babbles. Adrien rubs his neck, anxiously. “Actually, that’s not why. Alya kinda asked Nino to sit with her from now on. He’s up there now.” There’s a pause. “Of course, that’s not to say that I don’t want you to sit with me, oh god, this is a mess isn’t it?” he rushes to reassure her. Her mouth starts to quirk up into a shy smile.

“Finally,” Alya murmurs to Nino. “It’s about time. Do you know how hard it is to pretend to be mad at that girl?” He chuckles. “Do you know how hard it is to pretend to be pissed at Adrien? The dude’s just…” Nino trails off, not knowing what to say. “A sunshine child?” Alya supplies. He nods. “Yeah, that.” She snorts. “Yeah, he is that.” Mlle. Bustier strides into the classroom then, effectively ending any and all conversations. “Good morning class,” she begins. “As you all know, Miss Dupain-Cheng was akumatized yesterday. She was quite possibly the most dangerous Akuma to date, rivalling only Hawkmoth himself.” She drones on and on about how students should be sure to help those that they think are Akuma worthy, and Marinette’s eyes progressively fill with tears. She drops her head into the palms of her hands, trying not to let Adrien see, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Chloé’s voice shears through Mlle. Bustier’s lecture, “Well then shouldn’t Maritrash be locked up? Since she’s a danger and all? Or is the great Marinette Dupain-Cheng too good for jail, which is what she deserves?” Marinette’s eyes scrunch shut, and she tries to block the spiteful girl out. She doesn’t see when Adrien’s hands clench into fists at his sides, but she can hear him clearly when he says, “Maybe you should wait to pass judgment until you hear her side of the story.”

Chloé glances sharply up at the two, and her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Did she put you under her spell? That was her power, right? To turn people into marionettes?” she laughs. “Sounds kinda self-centred if you ask me.” “Chloè…” Mlle. Bustier begins, warning the girl to stop. This proves to be too much for Alya, however, because she leaps from her seat and down the stairs to promptly land a sharp smack across the blonde’s face. “You asshole! Do you know how much shit Mari puts up with because of you? And she doesn’t complain, which is more than I can say for you!” Chloè lightly touches the spot where Alya’s hand landed and winces slightly. Mlle. Bustier’s face goes red, then a puce-like colour. “ENOUGH!” she shouts. “That’s _enough_! Go to the principal’s office. Both of you!” Chloè raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think that Daddy would like that very mu-” “ _Both_ of you,” The incensed teacher repeats.

No one notices when Marinette leaves the classroom, tears streaming down her cheeks. No one except for Adrien, that is.

Marinette’s back screams in protest as she slides down the wall of the school, Tikki cupped in her hands. “It’s one thing to not say anything about my situation to Adrien, I get that. But to keep it from Chat? You know how I feel about that, Tikki! I can’t deal with patrol anymore. He doesn’t speak to me, he doesn’t even look at me,” she sighs, then blanches. “Hide, Tikki!” The kwami zips back into her bag, just as Adrien walks around the corner. He stops abruptly when he sees her, his face concerned. “Hey, Marinette. How are you feeling after… you know, all that?” “How should I feel? ‘Cause right now I feel blank. Numb, if you will. Two of my best friends refuse to talk to me, and I blather on like an idiot in front of the other one!” Fresh tears stream down her face. Adrien’s eyes widen a bit in surprise. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? Who won’t talk to you? Mari, please! I can’t stand to see you like this!” She glances up at him, her eyes as big as saucers. “Alya’s pissed at me, and my best friend in the whole of Paris won’t look at or talk to me. What the hell else do you want me to say? I always knew I’d let him down, but he was always there. No matter what I did, no matter how I fucked up, he would find a way to cheer me up. But now? Now I fucked us up beyond repair. All because I wasn’t there to save her. Not even I can be in two places at once! And it’s all because I fell prey to Hawkmoth.” She’s shuddering with sobs now, but she can’t seem to stop the torrent of words that flow from her mouth in a never-ending stream. “It’s all because I wasn’t strong enough,” she murmurs. “I was stupid enough to let Chloè get to me.” She lets her head fall back onto the rough brick of the wall behind her, and she doesn’t notice when Adrien walks away, wearing his regret like a shroud of black around his shoulders.


	3. Not Really a Chapter: More of an Update

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! This is just an update. See below.

So! TITLE CHANGE!!!! I finally found a better title for this, and I think it fits! Comment below on what you think!


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, it's a new chapter!!!! Squeee!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola peeps!  
> Chapter three below, but first! WARNING!!!! LANGUAGE IS COMING!!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! The rating may change because of this. Apologies, young ones!  
> Peace babes,  
> Cumber_Babe04  
> P.S. As always, comments and Kudos are appreciated!

'The rain falls heavily on the night Paris crumbles. They’re fat, heavy drops that feel like stones when they hit your skin, washing the dirt of the streets into the Seine. The Seine itself is a churning soup of mud and debris, treacherous to the drunk tourist. No one is stupid enough to go out in near-hurricane conditions, however. No one wants to die.

A few blocks away, the Dupain-Cheng boulangerie seems to repel all rain and gloom with its warmth. Laughter filters out into the deserted streets, lending an air of cosiness to the stormy night. A few blocks away from the Dupain-Cheng boulangerie, the Agreste home stands silent, cold, and dark, save for Adrien Agreste’s room, from which light still streams. The room itself is empty, classical piano music playing from an iPod set up on the actual instrument. The boy himself is nowhere to be found.  


Adrien loves being Chat Noir. Being Chat, donning the witty, charismatic persona gives him the freedom to be himself, if only for a little while. His booted feet hit the balcony that overlooks the boulangerie, right at Marinette’s trapdoor. She is already there, holding an umbrella, his umbrella, waiting for him. Her teeth chatter, and she hurries him down into her room. “It took you long enough,” she grumbles, grabbing towels for herself and the leather-clad hero. “Sorry, Purrr-incess. My father wouldn’t let me go soon enough,” he purrs. She sighs. “I seem to be hearing that more and more lately. Adrien said that to me just the other day.” Chat raises an eyebrow. “Speaking of Agreste, what is he to you?” She laughs nervously. “Jealous Chaton?” His eyes widen a fraction, and he shakes his head. “I- well, you talk about him a lot, and when you do, you’re usually miles away.” Marinette’s face pales substantially. I-ugh-I-I don’t talking know you’re-I mean, know what you’re talking about! I-” Chat cuts her off. “I’m not blind, Purrr-incess. You look like you want to be best friends with this guy.” He cocks his head. “The only question is why you don’t speak to him. If you want to be closer and all.” “You really _are_ blind, Chaton,” she laughs quietly, derisively, then replies so he can hear. “The same reason you can’t talk about your feelings about Ladybug to her face. You’re scared she’ll reject you. But you really do love her, don’t you.” It’s not a question, more of a statement of a well-known fact, but he nods nonetheless, his normally cheerful eyes sad. “You’re friends with her, right? Do you think she loves me?” He pleads with her, giving up on subtlety. Marinette huffs out a sigh. “She probably could, but I think that she’s holding out because she-she likes someone else. I think that we like the same person. Ladybug and I, I mean. He- I don’t think he sees me as more than a friend though.” A pause, then, “Do you know Adrien Agreste?” Chat gapes at the girl, at a loss for what to say. She soldiers on, “Do you think that he could ever see me as more than a friend?” “I-he-he probably could; you cross his mind more than you probably should. I think that he could… if he didn’t love Ladybug.” Chat pales when he sees the silent tears begin trickling down her cheeks. “Sh-she always ruin-ns everything,” she whispers. “I- maybe you should go. I don’t want to pretend anymore. I’m too young for my heart to feel this tired.” She sinks to her knees, her shoulders shaking. Chat runs over to her, falling to his knees beside her, pulling her into a warm embrace. A murmured “Plagg, claws in.” is whispered, and magic, older than time, tinges the air. The distraught girl turns her face into the boy’s chest and melts into him, letting out a choked sigh.

“You shouldn’t have detransformed,” she murmurs into his shirt a few calming minutes later. Her voice is muffled, but he can just make her statement out. “I know,” he sighs resignedly. “But you’ve been stuck in my head, and I can’t seem to get you out.” Marinette goes still, and he starts to pull away, but she grabs his shoulders, stopping him. She’s not ready for the lack of contact between them. He puts a gentle finger under her chin, taking advantage of her closed eyes to study her. He lowers his head towards her and whispers, “Open your eyes, Mari.” Chat’s breath ghosts across her face, making her shiver. “I…” she trails off, then starts again. “What if I don’t know you? I’m scared Chat. Terrified!” His eyes soften, though she can’t see them. “I promise you, I swear on the moon and the sun and the stars, that you know me. C’mon, Mari. Trust me. Open your eyes.”

He gazes at her, transfixed, as the pearls of her eyelids crack to reveal the lapis lazuli of her eyes. They slowly make their way to his unmasked face, and he suddenly has the irrational urge to cover his face, as if that were going to stop her from looking like she’d seen a ghost. “A-Adrien?” Her voice is rusty and cracks with surprise. Now that she knows, she can’t help but see all of the similarities between the two. They both have the same evergreen eyes, the same mannerisms, and even Adrien had made a pun or two before. He scratches the back of his neck nervously, and she jolts towards him as if someone has pushed her, and she wraps her arms around him. He feels wetness on his shoulder and realizes that she’s crying, but he’s crying too, and none of it matters because he’s home. He’s finally home, he realizes as he wraps his arms tightly around this girl who has accepted him without expecting anything in return. ‘I love this girl,’ he thinks, and it’s true. He loves her. She’s his solace, his comfort, and he would die to protect her.

He tries to push Ladybug’s grinning face out of his mind, but she’s persistent. Even in his thoughts. Marinette pulls away, and, as if she had read his mind, she says, “Don’t worry. She’ll be happy for you, for us.” He slumps against her, and she shifts to catch him, to hold him up. Fingers run through his sunshine hair, calming his desperate sobs. “I-I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let her go.” He presses his face into her shoulder and chokes back a sigh.

Her hands move from his bowed head to his hunched back, where they rub soothing circles up and down. “She’d want you to be happy,” Marinette sighs, then pulls reluctantly away. “But I won’t be your second choice. You really should go now.” Adrien’s eyes snap open and dart up to meet her own, as a blush begins to heat her cheeks. “You mean,” he pauses, trying to comprehend. “You’re saying no?” “Yes. I mean, no! I mean-ugh! Yes, I’m saying no. I’m sorry Adrien.” She grins ruefully. “I know it’s not fair to you, but I can’t be your fallback option. Come back when you love me for me, and not because of the spots.”'


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hola Chicas y Chicos!  
> I know it's been a while, but here it is! The fourth chapter! I know, I know, it's short, but quality over quantity, right? Comments and Kudos are appreciated and welcome!  
> Peace babes,  
> Cumber_Babe04

Marinette’s jolted out of the dream by Tikki’s high-pitched squeak. “Marinette! You need to get up! There’s an Akuma!” She groans. “What time is it?” “Two o'clock!” comes the stressed reply, and Marinette shoots up. “What?! Hawkmoth’s never sent one out this late, so why now?” she asks. “We can puzzle it out later! As of right now, we need to _go_!” Tikki says impatiently. “Right, you’re right. Tikki, spots on!” There’s a bright pink flash, and Ladybug swings out over Paris searching for the Akuma, as well as her partner. Yellow and orange flashes eventually lead her to a cheese-themed Akuma, the Grater, who claimed that his ‘super-secret camembert recipe’ had been stolen. By whom, he didn’t know, so he was determined to turn everything and everyone into cheese until it was turned over, along with the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. “Good evening, My Lady.” Chat’s voice is soft, hesitant. “Chat,”Ladybug starts to reply but is cut off by a blast of yellow light. “Maybe later, Milady, at the Eiffel Tower. Right now, it would probably be ‘grate’ if we took this guy down.” She rolls her eyes at the forced pun, and nods.

It takes them an hour to isolate and subdue the Akuma. “Bien joué, Minou,” Ladybug yawns. She glances at him, her eyes filled with regret and sadness. She opens her mouth, perhaps to apologize, but his raised hand halts anything she was about to say. “Just- just let me speak.” His voice is quiet, so quiet that Ladybug strains to hear him. Chat continues, “I just- I don’t understand how you could just _leave_ her! Paris needed you. _I_ needed you.” His partner glances down at her feet, trying to hide the tears she feels brimming. “I know,” she whispers. “I know you needed me, but I couldn’t be there. If she’s akumatized again, I can’t be there.” “Why?” Chat demands. “What has she ever done to you?” “Nothing,” Ladybug replies. “But she and I? We just- we’re-,” she struggles to make her thoughts coherent for him. She finally decides on, “It would put my identity at risk, more than that, my identity would be revealed. I can’t risk my friends and family! Not for m- her.” Ladybug drops her face into her hands, tears glinting in the silver moonlight.

Chat glares at her. “She’s a citizen! You know, one of the ones we promised to protect? No matter what! That’s what you said, that first day. No. Matter. What! No matter the risk to ourselves!” “It doesn’t matter,” she says, her voice muffled by her hands. She raises her head so that her words can’t be mistaken. “Is it really worth it to put dozens more citizens in danger, all to protect just one? Will you risk the lives of others, to just save one? And one that’s not even worth it! When will you learn, Chat? Marinette Dupain- Cheng isn’t worth your time, much less anyone else’s. She knows it too.” Chat’s usually warm eyes turn glacial. “You don’t get to say that,” he snarls. “Not about her. Not to me.” Ladybug chuckles sardonically. “You think you know her better than I do? I know how she thinks. I know everything about her. Can you say the same? Can you say that you know what she dreams about at night? ‘Cause I can. I can tell you who she loves, who she hates, her fears, everything!” Her partner’s eyes widen in surprise. “How? The only way you can know all that is if you…,” he trails off, not wanting to go on. “Is if I were her?” Ladybug supplies for him. “But I’m not her. Or rather, she’s not me. She’s not seen as perfect. She’s clumsy and shy and loyal to a fault. She’d- she’d die for you, for her friends, and for those she loves. And most of all, she’s scared. She’s scared that she won’t be enough to stop the hell that’s on its way; she’s scared that she’ll fail, and she’s scared because everyone’s counting on her. No one knows what she’s going through, and sometimes she feels like ending it herself, but she knows she can’t because she’d let everyone down. She knows that you’d be devastated if she never showed up for patrol or for school because she killed herself. She knows, so she holds on.” Ladybug pauses, then whispers, “Tikki, spots off.” There's a bright flash of pink magic, and Ladybug is gone.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hola!  
> I know, it feels like it's been ages since I last updated this fic, but here we are! We're steadily plodding along! We're also slowly delving deeper into the plot, and with more plot comes more angst! Lovely, right? Anyway, enjoy the new chapter! And as always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!  
> Peace Babes,  
> Cumber_Babe04

The flash is so bright, he has to close his eyes, but he knows what he’ll see when it clears. He’ll see his Lady, his Princess, broken down. He’ll see her finally beaten, beaten until she’s reached this point, the point where she’s ready to just give up. And his heart breaks. 

When he can see again, there she stands, tears streaming down her face, her voice bruised from shouting him down, trying to  _ tell _ him that nothing was all right, that her mind was failing her, that she wasn’t happy.  _ And I didn’t listen _ , he thinks, and he feels his heart shatter even more. 

“I’m sorry, Princess,” he sobs quietly. “For what, Chaton? Not knowing? You don’t have to apologize for that,” Ladybug tries to reassure him, but he’s not listening to her soft words. “ _ Please,  _ Chat, listen! It’s not your fault. I was the one that insisted on keeping our identities a secret.” Chat shakes his head. “I know. I know, Milady. But I- you’ve been right under my nose, and I didn’t notice you. I didn’t see that you were struggling, and I don’t think that I can forgive myself for that. That first day, I told you that, of  _ course, _ I’d know you outside of your mask. But I  _ didn’t. _ I didn’t notice.” She slowly picks her way across the roof to where he stands, his head in his hands.

“But Chat,” she murmurs, trying to pull his hands away, “It’s not your fault.” Marinette bites her lip, then sighs, and cups his face in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. “I love you Chat, and there’s nothing,  _ nothing _ you can do about it. I love you, and if I have to spend every day of the rest of our lives telling you that so you’ll believe me, then I will. I would spend forever telling you, _ showing _ you, how much I love you.”

Chat stares at her, his eyes uncomprehending. “You- you love me? After all this time?” Marinette blushes, and replies, “I realized that the guy that I used to like was too far out of my reach. He was more of an idol than someone to love.” “An idol? Who was it? Who hurt you?”

“I think that you already know,” she whispers, and his eyes darken. “Agreste.” He doesn’t pose the name as a question, but she nods anyway. “ _ I  _ hurt you,” he murmurs, too quietly for her to make out what he’s saying and he backs away from her, almost as if he were afraid to contaminate her with his mistakes. Marinette cocks her head, confusion marring her features. “I hurt you,” Chat repeats, louder this time, and then he groans, sinking to his knees, shoulders shaking with heavy, heartrending sobs. Marinette can feel each sob like a blow to her stomach, landing repeatedly in the same place, each heavier than the one before. His transformation falls in a flash of acid-green light, and only Adrien, the one that she used to love, and, if she’s honest with herself, still does, is left, broken because of her and her pain.

She picks her way towards him and sinks to her knees beside him, wrapping her lithe arms around his trembling shoulders. “Adrien,” she murmurs, tears dripping from her voice. “You don’t understand!” He screeches, voice raw with the emotion he’s kept hidden. “Everything’s falling apart, and I can’t do anything about it!”

“But you can,” Marinette breathes into his ear. “ _ We _ can. We always do, don’t we Chaton? We always come out on top; it’s what heroes do. They always win.”

“Do they?” comes the broken reply. “Do you really believe that?”

“Of course. If I didn’t then I wouldn’t still be here. I  _ have  _ to believe that we’ll best Hawkmoth. Otherwise, what’s the point in fighting him?”

Her arms are strong and sure about him, just as they always are. “What’s wrong Minou? Why is everything falling apart for you?”

“If I tell you, do you promise not to think less of me?” Adrien wonders. “Of course I do!” Marinette replies. “You know that I wouldn’t! What’s wrong?”

“My father,” Adrien begins, then hesitates. “My father is Hawkmoth.”


	7. Just an Update, Really...

Hello, Lovelies!

I am  _so_ sorry that I've been mostly touch and go with this fic (mostly go, but you know how it is...), but I've been busy with school and sports and theatre that I just haven't had time to edit the next chapter. For those of you that are still with this fic, OHMYGOD!!!! THANK YOU!!! I  **love** seeing your comments and Kudos. It makes me feel like I'm not the only one that derives enjoyment from fic. Thank you guys so much for having the patience to stick with this, even though it's definitely **not** the best on this site. But anyway! I should have a bit more time coming up soon, so be on the lookout for another chapter (that is... if I can get it edited...)! Love you guys bunches!

Peace Babes,

Cumber_Babe04

 


	8. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hola Chicas y Chicos!  
> Cumber_Babe04 here!  
> I finally have something I can post, and yes, it is an actual chapter instead of an update! Chapter 6 is here and ready to be enjoyed!  
> Peace Babes,  
> Cumber_Babe04

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and Kudos are appreciated!

“What?”

“My father is Hawkmoth,” Adrien repeats, his eyes scrunched shut against the searing heat behind his eyelids. “My father is the one that akumatized you, that akumatized everyone else, and I didn’t see it until it was too late. You tried to tell me but…” his voice trails off when he notices Marinette’s murderous expression. “What- what are you doi-,” he’s cut off when her arms tighten around him like steel bands. 

“Shut up,” comes her muffled, but still noticeably angry reply. “You don't know how much I want to- to kill that sonofa-” Adrien hurriedly covers her mouth with his hand. 

“Come on now,” Adrien chuckles. “Let’s try to keep this PG, eh?” Marinette pulls away, her blue eyes dark with repressed fury.

“Don’t pretend that you’re okay,” she mutters. “Because I know that you’re not. You hate him just as much as- if not more than- I do.”

“Do I?” Marinette nods, lips pinched as if she’d just eaten a lemon. “Oh? How can you tell?”

“Your voice gets that tone to it- It sounds like you’re about to start growling. No…,” she corrects herself. “It sounds like you want to kill him.”

“But that’s the thing Marinette. I  _ don’t  _ want to kill him. Lock him up, sure. Scream at him, definitely. But kill him? Not even a little bit. He’s my father; I still have to believe that there’s at least a little good in him.” Adrien scratches the back of his neck, his face bitter in the silver glow of the moon reflecting in his Lady’s bluebell eyes. “If I gave in to the temptation to kill him, would I really be any different than he is?” he asks, his voice breaking a little on the word ‘different’.

Adrien’s gaze penetrates her cloudy thoughts, and she finally murmurs a reluctant “No,” her eyes glued to the rooftops laid out before them. “But,” she continues, finally meeting Adrien’s intense gaze, “What if he finds out that you’re Chat? Where would you go? You couldn’t stay with Alya, Nino, or any of your friends. That’s the first place he’d look. The only way you’d be able to stay with anyone is if they were willing to keep your presence a secret.”

“Why, My Lady, don’t you do that anyway?” Adrien purrs, his chartreuse eyes gleaming with laughter.

“It’s not  _ funny _ , Chat! I’m serious! Where would you go?” Adrien immediately sobers.

_ She actually cares about this, _ he realizes, belatedly. “Don’t worry Princess. This cat can take care of himself. The question is, who will watch over you if I have to go into hiding?” Marinette’s eyes flash dangerously and she responds, “If you have to go into hiding, I will hunt your father down and kill him myself.”


End file.
